This invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for giving unmistakable positive and at the same time negative feedback to the user for training the movements of the body to properly execute a golf swing. And, in particular, to a method and apparatus which enables the golfer to learn the correct action of one""s hands, wrists and forearms in relation to the club as it is swung in a golfing stroke in what has been called the new millennium rotational body swing.
The golf swing is a most complicated movement that is best accomplished by the interaction of the alternating contraction and relaxation of opposing muscle groups. Because this movement occurs in less than two seconds and must be coordinated to the millisecond, it cannot be controlled by conscious thought. It must be trained through the subconscious mind. Thus while in training, it is desirable that golfers have continuous information and feedback throughout the entire movement that they are maintaining the correct structure of the forearms and the hands and wrists in relation to the club as it is swung in a golfing stroke.
Many devices have been invented in hopes of giving the average golfer a pro type swing. They range from huge plastic tubing hoop type affairs along which the shaft must be swung to smaller devices that connect with the shaft and make contact with various parts of the user""s body.
Examples of these types of devices include U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,073 by Vasquez. I shared a booth at the PGA show in Orlando with Mr. Vasquez about 5 years ago and enjoyed talking to him about his device. He showed me how it attaches to the putter and had means for contacting the insides of the golfer""s forearms as they make a putting stroke, thereby keeping the golfer""s forearms in the same relationship and structure throughout the entire putting stroke. It is a very good device for putting, but would not work in a full golf swing. U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,812 by Lorang attaches to the off-target side of the shaft of the club. A guide arm extends outwardly and upwardly towards the golfer""s off target-forearm. As the club is swung backwardly, the guide will contact the off-target forearm, indicating that the wrists have been correctly cocked, and as the club is swung forwardly, the contact guide will again disengage from the golfer""s forearm when the hands are about hip high in the downswing. The contact arm will stay off the golfer""s forearm until it reunites at the finish of the swing. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,846,143 and 6,251,025 by Brock are similar to Lorang. The only difference is that they have a guide arm those contacts the leading forearm of the golfer when the hands are about hip high in the backswing and relinquishes contact when the hands are about hip high in the downswing. The contact is again made when hands are about hip high on the follow thru to the finish.
The closest known prior art to the present invention is U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,721 By Trask. It has means for attaching a guide arm to the club which also makes contact with the leading forearm. The guide arm only makes contact with the leading forearm of the golfer if an incorrect movement is made during the swing. It does not contact at address or any other time during the swing if the club is swung correctly and the wrists are properly pronated throughout the swing
Unfortunately, all of these past inventions have not taken into account what is called the new millennium rotational body swing. This modern golf swing is the swing used by the majority of today""s best tour pros and top amateurs. The reason that this swing is the preferred motion used by the majority of the best players is that it is easier to consistently repeat and when used correctly, it enables the player to hit the ball consistently straighter. This swing focuses on using the large muscles of the body. The idea is to let the rotation of the trunk, hips and legs release the golf club correctly, with no conscious release of the wrists at all. In this swing, the golfer just needs to keep the wrists and arms quiet, passive and in the same relationship to the golf club throughout the entire swing that they were in at address.
Unfortunately, since the prior art has focused only on the old time, conventional theory of pronation of the wrists in the swing, they over involve the hands and wrists in the golf swing. They do this either by having the guide member provide no contact to the golfer""s body or sporadic contact to the golfer""s body. These two methods have two common drawbacks when it comes to the new millennium rotational body swing.
The first concerns the ability of the golfer to practice the swing at the same speed that they would use on the golf course while actually playing golf. Where there is only sporadic contact, the golfer won""t take practice swings at full speed, because they become too concerned about matching up with the guide at some time in the backswing or follow thru. And, also when the idea is not to have any contact at all with the guide member, they become too concentrated on going slow and avoiding such contact.
The second drawback is that the prior art concentrates and puts too much emphasis on thinking about the pronation and supination of the hands and wrists in the swing. The reason that they did this is that conventional thinking suggested that the smaller muscles involved with these parts of the body dominated the swing. When in fact, the larger, more powerful muscles of the golfer""s trunk dominate the movement of the club in this new, modern swing.
What is needed is a guide that will define the relationship of and stay in contact with the radial bone of the golfer""s leading arm from the beginning of the swing to the finish. What is needed them is a device that provides continuous positive feedback throughout the entire swing in order to reproduce this new, modern swing. What is needed is a guide that allows the user to take full speed swings, with the same motion that they use on the golf course. And what is also needed is a device that will teach golfers to keep their hands and wrists passive and relatively uninvolved while the big muscles of their bodies take care of releasing the club through the swing.
This invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for training the movements of the body to properly execute a golfing stroke and, in particular, to a method and apparatus which enables the golfer to simulate the feeling of the today""s modern swing known as the new millennium rotational body swing.
It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for training a golfer to feel what the correct structure of their hands, wrists and forearms should be in relationship to the body and the golf club during a golfing stroke that is made using the new millennium rotational body swing; as a corollary to the foregoing object, it is an important aim of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for training a golfer to minimize the conscious involvement of the hands in the golf swing since the release of the golf club with this modern swing is achieved by means of the rotation of the body, and only focusing minimal attention on the hands and wrists as the primary initiators of the correct movement of the golf club. The golfer can think of the wrist trainer, the arms, the hands and the club as one unit. The golfer simply turns this unit to the back with their large muscles and then swings this unit to the front, without any conscious use of the hands or arms in the golfing stroke.
As a corollary to the foregoing objects, it is an important aim of the present invention to provide a device that provides continuous positive feedback throughout the entire swing in order to reproduce this new, modern swing. In addition to accomplishing the foregoing, this device also defines the relationship of, and stays in contact with the radial bone of the golfers"" leading arm from the beginning of the swing to the finish.
Still another important object of the invention is to develop in the practice swing the golfers"" natural sense of timing, tempo, and rhythm that they use for swings on the golf course. Since there are no places in the swing where the golfer has to guide the trainer to contact the leading forearm, there will be more chance of developing a natural motion instead of a guided one. This allows the user to take full speed swings exactly the same as the motions that they use on the golf course.
Other and further objects will appear in the course of the following description of the invention. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate possible embodiments of this invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.